What's in a Face, Hm? [Corvus Raaf]

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Location: Mogmun's Burgers North Market, Chazwa


Sem sat down at the table, currently in his Mirialan form as he looked at the burger in front of him. Grease oozed from the meat, and even without having tasted it the Clawdite knew it had great potential to give him a heart attack. We will look forward to this meal, he thought. Perhaps we can even get them to give us one to go!

Cracking his knuckles, Sem picked the burger up and took a large bite. True to its word, Mogmun's Burgers had to be the best joint in the system. He wiped some trickling grease off of his chin and continued to chew.

"Hey, you! I know you!"

The Clawdite-Mirialan looked up. "Whuh? Yuu meh uh?" He chewed frantically, then swallowed and tried again. "Apologies. Are you talking to us?"

The Clog-dweller who'd initially remarked did not look happy. "Yeah I mean you, Green-Skin! You stole my money!"

"What?" He had to put the burger down. "When would we have stolen it? Apologies again, but we believe you might be mistaken. We just got here."

By now there were several more Clog-hoppers standing up, and Sem got the sense that they didn't tolerate outside offenses. "I'm not mistaken! I'd know your sleazy face anywhere!"

The hell? was the last thing he thought before the first speaker swung a fist, sending Sem sprawling to the ground amidst cheers.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

The starlines shrank back into stars, and Raven was back in normal space. Straight ahead was the tiny white dwarf sun of the Chazwa system, not all that distinguishable from the bright background stars around it. Nearby and a little to one side, a mostly dark circle edged by a slender lighted crescent, was the planet Chazwa itself. Scattered around it in the darkness of space the exhaust glows of perhaps fifty ships could be seen, both incoming and outgoing. Most were freighters and bulk cruisers, taking advantage of Chazwa's central transshipment location.

"Well, here I am again," Corvus said conversationally to her protocol droid. “Any idea why?”

The droid looked at her. For someone as prone to sarcasm as he was, he was unusually quiet. “Because it is the Republic’s capital? Because you have a pre-arranged meeting? Is there any other reason? Is your girlfriend here?”

Even for a droid, he managed to inflect judgement into that last one.

“Jealous?” Corvus responded. Was she learning from him? “And no. I’m here to sample some ryshcate. A former acquaintance has set up a diner here. His ryshcate was the best outside of Corellia I’d tasted, so I’m keen to try it out.”

She glowered at the droid. “And…and I’m meeting someone straight afterwards. Jedi budget cuts. Seems those words go together.”

Two hours later, she drained the last of her cup and set it back on the stained wood of the small table, glancing across the noisy burger joint as she did so. The place was as crowded as it had been when she had come in an hour earlier, but the texture of the crowd had changed quite a bit. Most of the couples and older clientele both, and they had been replaced by a decidedly seedier-looking bunch. The fringe types were drifting in; which meant it was time for her to be drifting out.

"Time to go?" asked the waitress, her voice just audible over the noise.

"Right," she nodded, getting to her feet and fumbling in her pocket for a coin that would cover her cake and coffee. She found a proper-size coin and dropped it into the centre of the table.

Ordinarily the noise would have turned heads — but this time she was ignored. A commotion nearby was drawing everybody's attention. Words were raised — and suddenly so were fists, from what she could see — given she had a view of a lot of backs primarily. She smiled at the waitress and bowed. “I’ll keep damage to a minimum, you have my word.” The last time she’d ended a bar brawl, the ceiling and walls were severely damaged. But that was Anchorhead. It was a more civilised crowd here. Surely?

She pressed forward and refrained from showing her saber for now. She would give them all the chance to calm down by themselves.

“OK folks,” she said, her usual soft and gentle voice raised a few decibels to be heard over the noise. “What appears to be the trouble?”

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"We keep telling you, we've never stolen your money! We've never even met you before!" Sem dodged another swing, hand still on his jaw where the first blow had landed.

The Clawdite-Mirialan was feeling crummy, but could one blame him? Here he was, just wanting a nice meal, and then out of nowhere these guys accuse him of theft and start swinging! His eyes darted to his burger. It was nice while it lasted, we guess.

He suddenly had the wind knocked out of him as the Clog-dweller socked him in the gut. Wheezing, Sem dropped like a rock, curled up on the ground. The Clog-dweller towered over the shifter, his leg coming back to deliver a kick--

“What appears to be the trouble?”

Everybody looked up at the newcomer, except for Sem. He was still focused on keeping his form; whatever Mirialan he might have resembled may have been loathed in these parts, but he knew from experience that shifters such as Clawdites were downright hated. Distrusted, if he were lucky.

"This piece of scum stole my money! My whole month's worth of pay! But the coward won't admit to it!"

He spat on the Clawdite-Mirialan, who flinched.

"We...we told you, we don't--"

"Shut up, liar!" This time, Sem managed to block the kick with his arm, but it still hurt like a motherkarker. Shoving at the man's leg, he struggled to get up. The Clod-dweller stumbled back, and the Clawdite-Mirialan looked at the woman.

"We are innocent," he pleaded. "We just wanted to eat our burger in peace."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Her initial words fell on deaf ears. One person seemed to be doing all the talking, even though they sounded as though they were speaking on behalf of many.

One appeared to be doing all the swinging.

Finally the crowd parted and Corvus was able to take a look at the protagonists — except there only seemed to be one person on the receiving end of the punishment.

The one-sided fight erupted again, testing Corvus’ patience this time.

“ENOUGH.”

“You,” she said, pointing to the possible thief, “Should take a seat. And you,” she rounded on the attacker, "Should leave this to me." In case he had any ideas, she added, “Only one person has broken the law so far. So unless you’d like this person to press charges for assault, I recommend you back off.”

“Now,” she turned her attention back to the burger-eater. “Would you mind turning your pockets out? As a show of innocence?”

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"You should take a seat."

Sem's rear end had never found his chair faster than when this woman commanded him to sit.

"And you,” she rounded on the attacker, "Should leave this to me. Only one person has broken the law so far. So unless you’d like this person to press charges for assault, I recommend you back off.”

Press charges? He didn't want to press charges; he just wanted to be left alone! The Clawdite-Mirialan opened his mouth partially, then thought better of it. Perhaps the threat of a lawsuit would give him a slight advantage. The Clog-dweller, meanwhile, looked as if he were about to challenge the woman, but an urgent whisper from one of the onlookers had him reigning in whatever he was about to do.

"Now, would you mind turning your pockets out? As a show of innocence?”

The shifter nodded, going through his pockets and turning them out, one by one. In total, his personal affectations included: his pocket sewing kit, complete with a partially-finished embroidery; a handful of credits, enough to buy one or two meals; his holocom; and a piece of lint. "See? We did not steal his money. We have enough of our own to be content."

"That means nothing!" interjected the first Clod-dweller, pulling out of his buddy's restraining hands. "You could have hidden it somewhere!"

"And then return to a place that you would be? We doubt the intelligence in that plan."

He snarled, lunging forward, but this time was again restrained by the onlookers. Apparently the thought of being charged for assault was keeping the crowd wary -- that, or the air of command surrounding the woman.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled — which seemed odd, give the charged atmosphere.

She bowed to the seated burger-eater. “Thank you for your cooperation and once I’ve dealt with this chap, we can discuss if you with to pursue any recourse against the somewhat misguided gentleman.”

She turned to face the thug, the smile still firmly affixed to her face. “Now, let’s be clear. I do not doubt you have been robbed — why should I? But there is no evidence that this person is anything other than innocent. So you have some choices. And let me recommend one and save you the time of discounting the others.”

Sadly Corvus had dealt with this type before. He listened to instruction, not options. Choice confused his type.

“You will nod an apology to this innocent person and you will order them a new burger. And you will pay for it and you will then leave. Immediately. You will go to the local law enforcement office and explain to them of your theft. And…in this part is most important…you will tell them that Grand Master Corvus Raaf has interviewed you and if you so much as mention this poor citizen, I will be most displeased.”

She hated using her title, but occasionally it was necessary.

“Now,” she said, sitting next to the aforementioned citizen and half-eaten burger. “Are you OK?”

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

The man looked ready to blow smoke from his ears, but he nonetheless complied. Jedi had as much a reputation as the Sith, albeit different reasons, and the Grand Master was not someone any of the Clog-dwellers wanted to mess with.

One of the onlookers elbowed him in the ribs, pushing the man into action. Looking at the waitress, he snarled, "Make Green Skin a new burger!" As she scurried off, he then stomped over to Sem's table and slammed down a handful of credits. The shifter winced, remaining quiet. He did not want to further instigate anything with this individual. "Sorry," growled the man, who then looked about at the traitorous crowd -- not a single one who'd stood up for him.

"Come on, you sorry lot! There's nothing else to do here!" With that, the Clod-dweller stormed out of the building. At first, the crowd stayed, looking hopefully at the Jedi and the Clawdite-Mirialan in case more excitement was to be had, but when it became clear that the show had run its course, they too left the restaurant. Eventually the only customers left were a handful of older folks and themselves.

Meanwhile, Sem finished painfully pocketing his belongings, though he left the Clog-dweller's credits on the table. For some reason, he felt a great reluctance to touch them.

"Are you OK?"

Sem nodded, the action causing the blood to rush to his head. "We will be fine, Master Jedi. We...we thank you for your interference, though we did not want him to pay for our meal." He paused for a moment. His body was battered, but he could fix that -- if only the Master Jedi wouldn't mind him going to the restrooms first.

"Um, do you mind if we excuse ourselves to the bathrooms? We would like to change, if you don't mind." For a moment, Sem wondered if she would understand which type of change he meant -- she was, after all, the Grand Master.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She didn’t push the situation. The man complied and expecting better manners was a step too far and not worth attempting.

So she sat quietly until he left. She contemplated ordering a burger herself, but decided against it. She was a salad girl at heart.

And so she returned her attention to the man opposite her. There was clearly more to the diner the met the eye, but the Force only told you so much. His aura was not Dark for example. He was organic for sure. In other ways, she was as ignorant as the man that just left.

Well. Maybe not that ignorant.

The common use of the collective pronoun was possibly a clue. Or just a reflection of the man’s state of mind. And the reference to changing in the rest room? Not a popular use — but there was a possibility Basic wasn’t his native tongue — which might also explain the use of the word ‘we.’

So she smiled at him. “Please, feel free. I’m not going anywhere.”

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

((Dude, you are the first person to have their character pick up on Sem's speech pattern! I was wondering if anyone would notice! xD))

Sem nodded his head. "Thank you, Master Jedi. We will not be long." As he stood up, a thought occurred to the Clawdite-Mirialan, and he added, "Also...please do not be alarmed when we return. Thank you." With that, he ducked his head and hurried as quickly as a battered man could to the restrooms.

Thankfully, he was the only one in there, but to keep it that way, Sem locked the main door. Walking over to the sink, he looked at his face for a moment. This is going to be painful, he thought, gently touching the tender bruises. Let's just hope we won't be noisy.

After washing the meagre amount of blood and dirt off, he gripped the sides of the sink and began to change.

As always, the process was painful, and despite their best efforts soft grunts of agony escaped their mouth. Granted, the damaged tissues did nothing to aide this, but Sem had discovered when they were young that shifting often speeded the healing process, as the whole thing required cells to either die off or be recreated. And, thankfully, the Mirialans and humans shared similar anatomical structures.

When Sem finished, they took one last look at their face. Where the Mirialan had once been now stood their preferred human form (and, outside of their Clawdite body, it was their favourite form overall) -- grey eyes, brown hair, and a face that could have been male or female. And yet, it was a face of anonymity, a face that was forgotten as quickly as it was seen.

A face that had always served the Clawdite well.

They unlocked the door and, running a face through their hair, began to walk back to the table where the Jedi sat. Though their body was still stiff and sore, it felt much, much better than earlier. Feeling very self conscious nonetheless, they sat down in their chair.

Watching her intensely so that they may gauge her reaction, Sem said, "Forgive us, Jedi. We realised we did not give you our name, though we know yours. Our name is Semziru Nar, though you may call us Sem if you wish. The few people we know call us that, at any rate."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Don’t be alarmed. If ever a phrase was likely to cause uncertainty before anything had even happened, it was that one. But she was a Jedi. And a seasoned one to boot. So she closed her eyes and drew in the Force, calming herself. You could never be too careful — especially when warned.

She sensed the return of the diner but when she looked up, she saw someone entirely different. She suppressed a smile. Obi-Wan’s advice was regularly shared with Younglings and Padawans alike. Sometimes a Master needed to heed it to. Your eyes can deceive you. Do not trust them.

So she trusted in the Force and took the man’s return in her stride, aware that it might not even be a man, but she needed something to relate to, so man it was.

“Sem,” she smiled as he finished speaking. “I’d be honoured to be included in that small group.”

She glanced over at the counter. “Your burger will be here soon. If the waitress asks any awkward questions, I’m happy to field them. Not everyone accepts change as readily as a Jedi.”

“So. And you’ll forgive me here I hope…curiosity is not a Jedi trait, but the acquisition of knowledge is. I’m guessing your change in appearance was deliberate. And I surmise due to the injuries sustained? Are you, by chance, able to change your appearance at will?”

She didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but the subject sat between them and wouldn’t go away.

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

A great sense of relief flooded through Sem. Here they were, worried that the Jedi, Grandmaster Corvus Raaf, would treat them like everyone else -- and instead, she welcomes them without hesitation. Are all Jedi like this? They had had so little interaction with Jedi, and even less with Sith; but it was nice to know that there might be a particular group which would not be so repulsed by changelings.

Returning the woman's smile with an even greater one, Sem sought to answer her questions. "No! No. Do not worry about your curiosity, Master Jedi; We welcome questions about ourselves -- the better to dispel false beliefs. From what our parents told us, it has afflicted our people for a while now."

They readjusted themselves in their seat, taking a bite out of the partially-eaten burger (which was now cold, but just as delicious). "We are a Clawdite; have you heard of them? We have the ability to change our physical appearance, though there are restrictions -- more so than other shifters, like the Gurlanin or, most notably, the Shi'ido. For one thing, shifting causes great pain. More so if we are injured." Sem smiled wryly. "We have discovered that shifting while injured speeds up the healing process....at the cost of almost doubled pain. But when one is on the run, or in need of a quick recovery, the pain is worth it. That said, we haven't yet tested how damaged we have to be before shifting only makes it worse. And we would much rather not find out."

It was nice, being able to talk to someone about their abilities. Speaking to their parents didn't do much; both were Clawdites to begin with. The pirates Sem had grown up with similarly didn't care about how their shifting happened, only that it did. And most sentients immediately treated changelings as beings to be mistrusted. "Do you have any more questions for us? We are more than happy to give you any answers we have."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded. The information explained a lot and confirmed some of what she thought. “It may or my not surprise you to learn that we have a Clawdite amongst our current crop of Padawans. Not that the fact makes me particularly knowledgeable about you — but I suspect I know more than the average citizen.”

“So, if I have questions they are about you, Sem, not which race you are. So…tell me Sem, what brings you here?” She smiled. “And I don’t mean the restaurant, I mean the planet. Are you here for anything specific?”

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Sem was, indeed, surprised to learn a Clawdite was training with the Jedi, but it was a pleasant surprise. It was nice to know someone was working to make a good name for their species as well.

At her question, they couldn't help but laugh. "They are one and the same, we're afraid. As we are not much qualified for any jobs other than pirating or sewing, we tend to drift a lot. Nonetheless, we heard that this place had delicious burgers, and we rather like burgers, so..." They shrugged. "We had enough money to make the trip, so we did. What about you, Master Jedi? Come for the burgers, too?"

At that moment, the waitress decided to deliver Sem's food. "Alright, I've got a Mogmun Burger, here for--" She finally noticed Sem's changed appearance, and looked between the two in confusion. "Where'd the Mirialan go? Wasn't he just here?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened and smiled. “The sewing I approve of, at least. And me being here? I was early for a meeting and decided to stop at the first place between the hangar and the rendezvous point. I’m here for nothing more exciting than to talk about budgets and what cutbacks in spending we need to make.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever had a burger.” She racked her brain. “Maybe when I was little?” She waved her hand dismissively. “No matter.”

And as she did, the waitress arrived. “Thank you.” She picked up the credits and handed them to the woman. “He’s had to leave but his friend here will take the burger.”

She smiled and turned her attention back to Sem. “I’m sure they’ll turn it into a take-out if you’d prefer.”

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Sem chuckled. "Sounds like a fun meeting, Master Jedi." Certainly one which they would gladly sit out. "Perhaps we can give you a stitch design to work on, in case you lose interest."

...Well, it was funny to them. The Clawdite's childhood wasn't the most normal, so it would be fair to assume their humour was not normal, either. At least the few Barabels they'd managed to meet appreciated their humour. Oh well.

In any case, Sem was glad that the Jedi had, as promised, taken care of the waitress. They weren't very good at thinking of stories on the spot, and had they been alone things just might have gotten more awkward by the minute.

Giving Raaf a grateful look, they shook their head. "We have a better idea, actually." The Clawdite cut the freshly-made burger in half, then pushed the plate towards the woman. "Nobody should have to go through life without eating a burger, whether it be made of meat or plants." They gave a brief grin. "At least try half; we have our other burger over here, and we don't mind eating it cold."

It was the least they could do, after the Master Jedi stepped in and saved their skin.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. The idea of sewing during the meeting seemed oddly enticing. But showing an entire lack of respect. Which was of course precisely why it was appealing.

Corvus was used to accepting many strange gifts and foods to try on her travels. Many were still alive and took a deal of effort to either accept with grace or decline without offence.

The burger looked as though it might take years off her life. But there was also something about it that was appealing. So she took a knife and cut it in two and picked up her half.

She bit into it and had mixed emotions. On the plus side it actually tasted rather good — the variety of flavours on offer complemented each other. But a sizeable part of what she bit into slid down her chin and onto her robes.

She dabbed at both with a napkin as she tried to speak. “Lovely,” she thought she managed to convey as she chewed on the food.

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Sem suppressed a laugh. It was obvious the woman was not too fond of the burger. Or perhaps it was the fact that the food seemed more intent on decorating her robes than entering her stomach.

Nonetheless, they decided to be a gentleperson and offered another napkin in one hand while popping a fry into their mouth with the other. "We see you've discovered one of the less savoury and admittedly unpredictable qualities of burgers -- whether or not they want to change the colours of your clothing." They ate another fry, thinking.

"Master Jedi, how much longer until your meeting? We, ah...well..." Sem felt their face grow warm, anxious o not embarrass themselves or to overstep boundaries. "We enjoy answering your questions, and ah, we have a few of our own. If that is not unwelcome."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was pleased that Sem was talking, It allowed her to chew vigorously and swallow the contents of her first bite before she was obliged to respond.

"In some customs, it's seen as impolite not to wear the food to some degree. Not her, granted, but some places."

She smiled.

"And to answer your question, I have a few minutes to spare, so please...ask as many questions as you'd like. Not everyone understands what being a Jedi is like, so sharing knowledge is always welcome."

[member="Semziru Nar"]

 

[Ibby]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

They shoved four fries into their mouth at once, hoping to buy time in order to collect their thoughts. They had heard many stories of the Jedi, but until now hadn't met one.

It was then they remembered their manners, and awkwardly swallowed the partially-chewed food, slightly embarrassed. They were, after all, sitting in front of the Grandmaster of the Jedi. How funny it all worked out. Instead of the first one being an average Jedi, they happen upon the arguably most important Jedi.

Wiping at their mouth, they set the napkin down and carefully phrased their questions. "Well, we have always wondered -- what makes the Sith bad and the Jedi good? Who decrees that the Jedi view is a "good" view and the Sith view is a "bad" view? Is it because the Jedi are not as willing to kill as the Sith are? And if that's the case, what about soldiers, and smugglers, and pirates, and bounty hunters? And how do you decide which splinter Force User groups are "good" or "bad"?" Sem suddenly realised how hostile their words might have sounded, so to convey their true intentions the Clawdite quickly added, "We don't wish to play an Imperial's advocate, nor someone who wishes to skewer you. But, as we said, you are truly the first Jedi we have met, and these questions have been pestering us, so..." They shrugged, unsure what else to say.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. It seemed it was the week of the difficult question. Perhaps someone had announced it and she hadn’t heard? Regardless, she took the question in the manner in which it was asked.

“Good and bad are, above all, subjective viewpoints. I can only say that, as a Jedi, I believe in the Code and what it teaches. And I oppose the Sith and their values. Their morals. But I let others decide which is good or bad.”

“But the common view is that preserving life, honouring the law and upholding democracy are things on the side of good. And that indiscriminate murder, selfish acts and amassing wealth whilst others starve is bad.” There was no sarcasm in her voice. She was simply stating things as she saw them. As factually as she could.

“And you raise a valid point. Is smuggling medical supplies for the needy into a Sith world — against their laws — bad?” Corvus shrugged.

“The Jedi have a saying. If there is truth between your heart and the Force, everything else is transitory. Every night, before I go to sleep, I review my actions of the day and ask myself that question. And every night I sleep soundly. But then so do the Sith no doubt, so perhaps not the best analogy. But I suggest we sleep well for entirely different reasons.”

“And I do not judge as a rule. People who do things that support my Code, does it matter if they are part of an Order? Not as I see it. Those that call themselves Jedi and kill without a second’s thought? I’m guessing now you will see where I am going with this.”

“Light and Dark? It is our actions alone that dictate our conscience — and how others view us. Tell me, what is your view of Jedi? More specifically, before we met and now, that we have.”

[member="Semziru Nar"]